U.S. Patent No. 5,238,622 discloses a method for molding a plastic shell from a self-skinning foamable thermoplastics material which, when cast against a heated mold surface, produces a non-porous outer skin layer backed by a thin layer of soft foam material. The concurrent development of the skin and foam backing layers simplifies the manufacturing of the shell by combining what otherwise would be separate steps in the formation of the skin layer and foam backing layer. It has been found that when the skin layer portion of the shell is made very thin (i.e., on the order of 0.001 inches to 0.010 inches) and somewhat porous, that the panel exhibits a desirable tactile gripping quality that is very pleasing to the touch making it desirable for use in automotive interior applications such as door panels, arm rests, and the like. However, it has further been found that such a thin and porous skin layer is far less durable and wear resistent than conventional dense and non-porous skins frequently used in such applications, such as the materials disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,025.
A foam-backed plastic shell formed in accordance with the present invention overcomes the foregoing objections.